1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to magnetic transducers for reading information signals from a magnetic medium and, in particular, to an improved magnetoresistive read transducer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art discloses a magnetic transducer referred to as a magnetoresistive (MR) sensor or head which has been shown to be capable of reading data from a magnetic surface at great linear densities. An MR sensor detects magnetic field signals through the resistance changes of a read element made from a magnetic material as a function of the amount and direction of magnetic flux being sensed by the element. These prior art MR sensors operate on the basis of the anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR) effect in which a component of the resistance varies as the square of the cosine (cos.sup.2) of the angle between the magnetization and the direction of current flow. A more detailed description of the AMR effect can be found in the publication, "Thin Film Magnetoresistors in Memory, Storage, and Related Applications", D.A. Thompson et al., IEEE Trans. Mag. MAG-11, p. 1039, (1975). These MR sensors have operated on the basis of the AMR effect even though this effect produces only a very small percentage change in the resistance.
German patent DE3820475 to Grunberg describes a layered magnetic structure which yields enhanced MR effects caused by antiparallel alignment of the magnetization. As possible materials for use in the layered structure, Grunberg lists ferromagnetic transition metals and alloys, but does not indicate which materials from the list are preferred because of superior MR amplitude.
Recently, another MR sensor has been identified in which the resistance between two uncoupled ferromagnetic layers is observed to vary as the cosine of the angle between the magnetizations of the two layers and is independent of the direction of current flow. This mechanism produces a magnetoresistance that, for selected combinations of materials, is greater in magnitude than the AMR, and is referred to as the "spin valve" (SV) magnetoresistance. An SV magnetoresistive sensor is being claimed in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 07/625343, filed Dec. 11, 1990.
The prior art does not disclose an MR sensor which has a large MR response at small applied magnetic fields.